Vehicular lamp, control device and control method for vehicular lamp, vehicular lamp system, and configurating device and configurating method for vehicular lamp

Abstract

A vehicular lamp apparatus includes: a lamp unit; a controller that controls the lamp unit based on vehicle information received from a vehicle; and an acceleration sensor that provides information indicating vehicle acceleration to the controller. The controller detects whether or not reception of the vehicle information is interrupted and controls the lamp unit based on the vehicle acceleration when interruption in the reception of the vehicle information is detected.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A vehicular lamp apparatus, comprising:
 a lamp unit;   a controller that controls the lamp unit based on vehicle information received from a vehicle controller; and   an acceleration sensor that provides information indicating vehicle acceleration to the controller,   wherein the controller detects whether or not reception of the vehicle information is interrupted and controls the lamp unit based on the vehicle acceleration when interruption in the reception of the vehicle information is detected, and   wherein the controller is structured to detect whether the reception of the vehicle information is restored while controlling the lamp unit based on the vehicle acceleration, and to return control of the lamp unit to being based on the vehicle information when the reception of the vehicle information is restored.   
     
     
         2 . The vehicular lamp apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the acceleration sensor is built into the controller. 
     
     
         3 . The vehicular lamp apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the lamp unit comprises a plurality of marker lamps that provide lamp functions different from each other, and   wherein the controller selects a marker lamp from among the plurality of marker lamps based on the vehicle acceleration and controls the marker lamp thus selected.   
     
     
         4 . The vehicular lamp apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the lamp unit comprises a tail lamp, and   wherein the controller turns on the tail lamp when the interruption in the reception of the vehicle information is detected.   
     
     
         5 . A control device for a vehicular lamp apparatus, the control device comprising:
 an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) that controls a lamp unit based on vehicle information received from a vehicle controller; and   an acceleration sensor that provides information indicating vehicle acceleration to the ECU,   wherein the ECU detects whether or not reception of the vehicle information is interrupted and controls the lamp unit based on the vehicle acceleration when interruption in the reception of the vehicle information is detected, and   wherein the ECU is structured to detect whether the reception of the vehicle information is restored while controlling the lamp unit based on the vehicle acceleration, and to return control of the lamp unit to being based on the vehicle information when the reception of the vehicle information is restored.   
     
     
         6 . A control method for a vehicular lamp apparatus, the control method comprising:
 detecting whether or not reception of vehicle information for use in control of a lamp unit is interrupted;   acquiring information indicating vehicle acceleration from an acceleration sensor;   controlling the lamp unit based on the vehicle acceleration when interruption in the reception of the vehicle information is detected,   detecting whether the reception of the vehicle information is restored while controlling the lamp unit based on the vehicle acceleration, and   returning control of the lamp unit to being based on the vehicle information when the reception of the vehicle information is restored.